Saint John, NB – Hockey Canada’s Atlantic Centre of Excellence, in conjunction with the four Atlantic Hockey Branches proudly announced on Thursday, the players who will make up the 2004 edition of Team Atlantic.

Team Atlantic is comprised of players from each of the four Atlantic Provinces and will represent Atlantic Canada at the 2004 World Under 17 Hockey Challenge, December 29th to January 4th, in St. John’s and Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and Labrador.

“We are extremely excited to name Team Atlantic for the 2004 World Under 17 Hockey Challenge,” stated Trevor Murphy, Director of Operations for Team Atlantic. “The twenty-two players that have been named to the team today will be great ambassadors on and off the ice for Atlantic Canada and I am sure that they will wear the Canadian Jersey with great pride.”

Team Atlantic will be comprised of eight players from Newfoundland and Labrador, six players from Nova Scotia, five players from New Brunswick, and three players from Prince Edward Island.

“We had sixty-seven players attend our Summer Hockey Development Festival this past July at Acadia University in Wolfville and we knew at that time, that we had the makings of a great hockey team,” commented Kevin Mitchell, Head Coach for Team Atlantic. “When you have sixty-seven players competing to be a part of Team Atlantic, it makes everyone step their game up to the next level. It was not an easy decision to name the twenty-two players that will make up Team Atlantic, but the staff is confident that we have named the players that will benefit the team the most.”

Team Atlantic will travel to Newfoundland and Labrador on December 26th. After practicing on December 27th and playing an exhibition game on December 28th, Team Atlantic will play their first tournament game against Quebec at Mile One Stadium on December 29th. Team Atlantic will also face off against the United States, Slovakia, and Germany in the round robin portion of the event.

“The World Under 17 Hockey Challenge will be a great test for our team, but we are sure that our players will rise to the Challenge and take their game to the next level,” added Mitchell. “Our staff and players have been training and preparing hard for this event and we will ensure that we are ready when the puck drops at Mile One Stadium.”